FAQ

The Ph.D. in Business (General Management) programme is a full-time programme, structured in an Intensive Executive Residential format. More details on the curriculum in the next question.

The first year of the Ph.D. in Business (General Management) programme consists of approximately up to 468 contact hours of lectures and seminars, conducted over a period of 6 weeks. In Year 1, students will be back to SMU campus for a 6-days residential segment (study week) on average of every two months for their 12 credit units coursework. From Year 2 onwards, upon satisfactory completion of coursework and passing of the Qualifying Examination (QE), students will be back to SMU campus for 4 sessions of 3-half days Research Techniques Workshops every quarterly. Students will start to prepare and submit an individual oral presentation of their dissertation topics.  After the presentation has been approved, students can proceed to work on their dissertations under the supervision of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business or its affiliate network.

The minimum duration of the programme is 3 years, though students may take up to approximately 4 years to complete. The maximum duration allowed is 5 years (subject to extension approval for 5th year).

The foundation and research courses in Year 1 coursework are designed to help students familiarise with the various business and research domains, and to be equipped with the skills to conduct rigorous research for the dissertation.  The students are expected to submit the proposal for research topic to the Dissertation Committee by a stipulated date during the mid of Year 2, upon the completion of their coursework and Qualifying Examinations.

There will be no exemption or waiver for the courses.

Students are expected to attend all the courses physically at SMU, and also subsequently to meet regularly with their dissertation supervisor and committee advisory members every 3 months until successful completion of their PhD Dissertation.

The minimum requirements for admission to the programme are:
a) Good Bachelor's degree from an accredited University
b) Good GMAT or GRE results (to be obtained within 5 years from date of application), or SMU Admission Test results
c) Minimum of ten years of relevant work experience
d) Proficiency in English Language. 

More information about preparing and registering for GMAT and GRE can be obtained from the GMAT website and GRE website respectively.
SMU's GMAT institution code is as follows:
Ph.D. in Business (General Management): F8D-7V-47
SMU's GRE institution code for this programme is 2861.

We do not have a minimum GMAT/GRE score as each applicant is evaluated on all the overall credentials as well.

You can send the rest of the application to us, even if you have not taken the GMAT/GRE. However, we will not process your application without your GMAT/GRE score by the end of the application period. You should fax or email us your unofficial scores as soon as you receive them, and if required, arrange with the test centre for the official score report to be sent to the Graduate Research Programmes Office in SMU.

Candidates are encouraged to take the GMAT or GRE. Candidates may take the online SMU Admission Test as a replacement for GMAT or GRE. Test detail will be sent to candidate once the online application is completed.

To apply for the Ph.D. in Business (General Management) programme, please submit an online application via our website and submit the required supporting documents in hard copies via post or by hand before the application deadline.

Yes, there is a non-refundable application fee of S$300, which is already inclusive of GST.  Kindly note that applications received without the application fee will not be processed.

Partial scholarships may be granted to outstanding candidates at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.  Please contact the Graduate Research Programmes Office for more details.

PhD(GM) programme is taught by a team of dedicated SMU faculty who have extensive research experience in their respective areas of specialty. To facilitate the modular delivery of the coursework and to provide a unique doctoral experience, some courses may be taught by distinguished visiting faculty as well.